Rhubarb-Apple Crumble Pie

I've never cooked with rhubarb.  My only experience eating it is the little compote side you get at Mrs. Knott's Chicken Dinner Restaurant.  It just sounded like something my grandma would make, so I came up with a recipe for it.

Unfortunately, it isn't rhubarb season.  I had to buy a bag of frozen, pre-cut pieces.  A quick web search of other recipes assured me that sugar is necessary to make it palatable, which is why most people think of it as a fruit rather than a vegetable.  Fine, a slightly over-sugared version of a basic fruit pie ought to do it.

One note on fruit pies, especially ones with a high moisture content.  You know that old thing about pies cooling on the window sill?  That's so the juices can gel.  If you try to slice a pie hot from the oven, it runs everywhere.  Fruit pies ought to be cut at or slightly below room temperature.  After the slice is on the plate, it may be warmed.

1 9" pie crust bottom
8 oz rhubarb, cut in 1" pieces
2 medium eating apples, such as Gala or Fuji, cored and thinly sliced
1/2 C sugar
1/4 C brown sugar
1/4 C flour
*1 tsp cinnamon
*1/4 tsp nutmeg

2 Tb butter
1/4 C flour
2 Tb sugar
1/4 C rolled oats

1.  Preheat oven to 350º.

2.  In a bowl, toss together apples and rhubarb.  Add sugar, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg and toss to coat.  Place filling in crust.  It will mound up a lot, but will bake down to just above the crust rim.

3.  In a separate bowl, cut together butter and flour.  Cut in sugar and oats and sprinkle crumb topping on pie.  Because it's piled up so high, it's going to be a little difficult to convince the crumb to stay put.

4.  Bake for 45 minutes, until well-browned.  I put a cookie sheet under the pie, in case crumb fell off or the juices bubbled over.  Cool before slicing.

Makes one pie, 6-8 slices

Difficulty rating  π